Cerulean
by Ripley'sCaress
Summary: I was taken away, sent to live in an orphanage, never to see my parents again. Somewhere deep down inside me, I knew that they had wanted me, and one day...I was going to find them. HG/DM...Next Gen.
1. Prologue

_The night was unusually chilly, the wind sharpened by the speed of the train as it rolled southward through the darkened valley. The cotton blanket Ashton had stolen was large enough to spread like a tarp and at the same time wrap around him and the rest of the orphans, but it was threadbare and for brief stretches the train would accelerate and the wind would cut right through to them. It had not been a problem the night before but now they were riding on top of the boxcar, as there was no more room within any of them, even as the train was more than a dozen cars long. A massive phalanx of nomads (or as Ashton calls them, homeless losers) had met the train at the last station, and in the time it took the orphans to relieve themselves by the side of the tracks they had lost their place and had had to climb the rusted ladder between the cars, Ashton running alongside for fifty meters until the other orphans were high enough on the rungs so he himself could jump up and on. _

_There was a score or so of people atop every car, groupings of nomads, mostly children like them, all traveling by themselves. Ashton was eleven, the oldest in the group of orphans. Winfred (Winnie as she likes to be called) and Jude had just turned seven. They were fraternal twins, though looked as much alike as a sister and brother could, only the cut of their hair distinguishing them. _

_Ashton knew they could have waited in the hope of another train with room inside but it hadn't been cold when they stopped just before dusk and he decided they ought to keep moving while they had the chance._

_To keep moving was always safer than lingering in one place, and there was nothing back at the station to eat, anyway. _

_There were a few policemen drinking and playing cards by the station, though their presence could only mean that their escape had been reported. Ashton had seen the newspapers. Though he could not read very well, he knew having his face on the front page would mean the authorities were on alert. _

_They'd left the orphanage, Ashton, Winnie, and Jude, all in the hopes of finding their parents. Jude, being the pessimist he was, begged Ashton to let them stay, but Winnie agreed whole-heartedly. Jude would never go anywhere without his sister, so he tagged along, albeit grudgingly. _

_Ashton hadn't been very happy with the company. Winnie was always attached to his side like a leech. Jude was just a little runt barking at his heels like some mangy mutt insane with hunger. But from the occupants at St. Peters, the twins were efficient. They didn't whine and bicker, playing the pathetic orphan in hopes of being taken to a new home. They weren't dogs, trying to pretend to be as good as possible, as cute as possible just to picked from the litter. _

_Ashton had spent his life in the orphanage. He'd never been chosen. Not that he wanted to. Ashton knew his parents were out there. He knew they wouldn't leave him in some awful place as this, but he wasn't going to wait for them. _

_Oh, no. _

_Ashton was tired of waiting. _

_He was going to find his parents._


	2. Hiding

_Two Days Ago_

_When the door to the library clicked open, the first thought that flitted through Ashton's mind was that Abilene had changed her mind and come to sit with him. But it was close to dinner-time, and her being the cook, would keep her busy until curfew. _

_He sat in one of the chairs, rubbing his bleary eyes, blinking away the lingering fog of his nap. For a moment, the door stayed open only a crack. He slid from the chair, tiptoeing across the hard wood floor, praying the person on the other side wasn't Roger and his cronies. He didn't need to be shoved into the toilet bowel again._

_"Hello, Ashton," Dr. _Ackerley beamed his best kindly-old-man smile as he pushed the door wide. He wasn't old-maybe fifty-but I wouldn't feed him to Smokes if he was the last food supply on earth. He was all skin and bones.

The woman behind him had frizzy grey hair and a pin-striped suit. Ashton didn't even look at her twice, fearing she'd send her _if looks could kill _expression his way. She had a way of making the toughest kid beg for his mommy. Her name was Avery, he'd known her all his life. At first he thought she was just completely unemotional, but as time wore on, he slowly learned that she was just an evil hag meant to torment the joy out of every kid who stepped out of line. She probably enjoyed it, too.

"We need your help, Ashton," Dr. Ackerley said as Ashton stepped back, leaning against the arm of a chair.

"Winfred and Jude," Avery said. "Where are they?"

Ashton looked from her to Dr. Acerkley, who smiled and nodded encouragingly, like he fully expected him to turn in his friends.

Ashton was a bright kid. He knew not to throw tantrums or stamp his feet, screaming that life was unfair and he wished he was never born. He'd learned to find the loop-hole in the rules of the Orphanage. That didn't mean he didn't have a loss of control every now and then. But as Abilene once told him;

Accept your lot. Count your blessings. Be a big boy.

Now, looking back at a life of doing what he was told, he realized he'd bought into the game. When adults patted his on the head and told him he was so grown-up, what they really meant was that they were glad he wasn't grown-up enough yet to question, to fight back.

Looking at Dr. Acerkley and Avery, he thought of what they'd done to him-lying to him, locking him up- and he _wanted_ to stamp his feet. Wanted to scream. But he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

He widened his eyes as he met Avery's gaze. "You mean you haven't found them yet?"

He thought she would have slapped him if Dr. Acerkley hadn't lifted his hand.

"No, Ashton, we haven't found the twins," he said. "We're very concerned for Winfred's safety."

"Why? You think Jude's gonna eat her once he starts to starve?" Ashton asked, sarcastically, earning a glare from Avery.

"Sometimes time calls for desperate measures, and though Jude is fond of Winnie, he isn't below taking care of himself."

_Fond? _What a strange word to use. Jude and Winnie were twins, tighter than any sibling Ashton knew. Sure, Jude was a bit selfish, but he would never leave Winnie behind. He'd protect her at all costs-he'd already seen that.

His skepticism must have shown on his face, because Dr. Acerkley shook his head, as if disappointed in him. "All right, Ashton. If you can't spare any concern for Winfred's safety, maybe you can for her health."

"What do you mean?"

"Her condition."

Apparently they thought Ashton was completely thick-headed. _Her condition?_ What next, were they going to tell him Winnie had some rare condition and if she didn't get her medicine within twelve hours she was going to spontaneously combust? Ashton knew everything there was to know about Winnie. She'd rambled on enough about herself, he probably knew more about her than he did himself.

"Look, as much as I love chatting with you lot, there is nothing you can say to me that will get me to out my friends." He drawled, collapsing backwards into the chair, and tilting his head at the two adults. They both had similar expressions of exasperation blossoming across their faces.

Avery glowered, shaking her head slightly. "You better tell us where they are or no supper for you tonight, you little brat."

Ashton laughed internally. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. She'd used that line too many times in his lifetime and every time she'd invoke that punished, he went right along with it. Abilene would never let him starve. She was too kind-hearted for that.

"Go ahead," he patted his stomach, "I've put on a little too much weight anyway. Skipping will be a good idea."

Dr. Acerkley had to hold Avery back, otherwise she would have pounced on him.

"Keep it up, Ashton. One of these days, your attitude will come back to bite you in the behind," Avery growled as Dr. Acerkley pulled her out of the library.

Ashton watched them leave with a content smile blooming along his lips. When the door closed, he snapped his fingers.

Two figures appeared from behind the velvet curtains.

They were identical from head to toe, except for the fact that they were of the opposite sex. Jude shot a condescending look at Ashton before roaming the library, his long index finger skimming the titles of the books.

Winnie skipped over, glancing back every step to watch her brother, and then collapsed at Ashton's feet. She stared up at him with big brown eyes, expectant.

He wasn't exactly their leader, but they did follow him, watching every step he made, imitating every motion. If it didn't irritate him so much, he'd be flattered.

"You can't hide us forever, Ash," Jude's patronizing tone called from across the room.

Ashton resisted the urge to roll his eyes, digging in his pocket as he felt the familiar weight of his lizard, Smokes, upon his shoulder. He pulled out a bit of dried apple, holding it beside his shoulder. Smokes, lunged out, his tongue wrapping around Ashton's fingers and pulling the piece of apple out from between his digits.

Ashton watched him swallow and said to Jude without turning his head, "If you don't want me to help you, then go out and talk to Avery. She'd love to lock you up in the attic."

Winnie touched his leg and he glanced down. "What?"

"Stop being mean to him, Ash. He's just scared." She whispered, looking over at her brother.

He followed her gaze, noticing the stiffness along Jude's spine. He ran his hand through his hair, refusing to admit she was right. Jude was a little brat when he wanted to be and Ashton didn't in anyway like him, but there was a sense of respect between them. Jude only listened to him because Winnie was practically in love with him, and Ashton tolerated him simply because of her.

She was the line that brought them together. The peace-maker that kept them from killing each other and even if the group seemed complicated, it just worked.

Ashton stood up with a sigh, grabbing Smokes from his perch upon his shoulder. He glanced at the twins, silently asking if they had anything left to say. When they both shook their heads, he nodded.

"I'll bring food down to the beach in an hour, Abilene should have it done by then," He mumbled, stumbling over to the library door.

As the door clicked shut, both twins glanced at each other, then begrudgingly went to the window, climbing out and down the beach to wait for their dinner.


End file.
